Page 56 of Love Me

“Oh, I’ve heard the gossip mill, but I just assumed it was talk because it’s always been there following the two of you. This is really happening? Your siblings all know?”

“Everyone except the one you’ve got at your place. I’ll tell him on my own though.”

“Fair enough. I’ve been a little preoccupied, so I forgive you all for not telling me. But I’m beyond happy for you both. Hannah, my sweet girl, I have loved you since you were three, this news couldn’t make me happier. You’ve always beenfamily, and this changes nothing.” My mom nearly squeals in joy and claps her hands together before rising and kissing Hannah on the head. It fills my heart with so much fucking love. She’s so accepted by my family, always has been, and this will only cement her place within it.

My mom leaves Hannah and I to ourselves, and with last night and this morning still on repeat in my mind, I just want to lay down next to her and kiss her for the rest of the night. If it’s up to me, we’ll be repeating that as soon as possible.

“What can I get you to eat besides a honey stick?”

“Bear, we’re going to hurt everyone we love when this crashes. What the hell are we thinking?”

I sigh and look away.

“Just trust me, beauty. This isn’t going to crash and burn. I won’t let it.”

After getting Hannah food, and she starts to regulate a little more, we return to the party where Charlie is happily playing games with her friends, Kinsey saving the day with her mad kindergarten teacher skills. Carter is holding my little fluff ball in his arms, and I cock my head at him. The little guy won me over and I am not about to have him stolen by my idiot brother.

“Who’s ready for cake and presents?” I yell over the little voices and laughter ringing out through the open garage. They cheer loudly, Charlie runs over to me, and I scoop her up.

“Happy birthday, munchkin!”

“It’s just my party, bear!” she squeals. “My birthday is in three days!”

“Oh, I know! I delivered you, remember?”

“You were the first one to hold me.”

“I sure was. You were slippery and covered in goo!” I tickleher and she flails around in my arms, forcing me to put her back down on her feet.

Hannah brings in Charlotte’s birthday cake, which she spent hours working on. The cake is made to look like Te Fiti from theMoanamovie and is surrounded by cupcakes decorated to be the green heart of Te Fiti. She outdid herself, and the look of pure happiness and excitement on Charlie’s face is priceless.

Charlotte is surrounded at the table by her friends, my entire family minus a few, Hannah’s sisters, and all of our friends. While we all sing Happy Birthday, I slip my hand behind Hannah’s waist, giving her a gentle tug into my side, and she drops her head onto my bicep. I take a second to appreciate the moment. Hannah on my arm, Charlotte happy as can be, surrounded by my family, in a place that I love.

This. This is what life is all about.

After the party, my family stays back to help clean everything up and put my garage back together. Once everyone heads home, I walk inside to find Hannah and Charlotte lounging together on my large couch. It’s a massive L-shaped, plush sofa with huge pillows.

When I started house hunting two years ago, this house had just gone on the market, and I didn’t hesitate to put in an offer. I wanted to live on the side of town where the distillery is located, attracted by how much farther from downtown it sits, giving me ultimate privacy. The house sits on three acres, but it’s a wooded paradise for someone like me.

It’s a beautiful log cabin with tall, vaulted ceilings held up by thick, exposed beams, an open-concept living area, with floor-to-ceiling windows expanding the length of the back of the house, and an upgraded kitchen. It has three bedrooms, two on the second floor, and the large master suite on the bottom with its own master en suite. The master bathroom was nothingto write home about until I updated it. It was the first place I gutted and renovated. A part of me always hoped that one day the stars would align, and Hannah would move in here with me, help make this big house a home with me. She complains at least once a month about how much she misses taking baths since her little apartment only has a small stand-up shower. I chuckle when I remember her reaction.

Pulling up in front of my new house, Hannah jumps out to get a head start to scope out the place and the new updates I’ve made to it. She jogs up the stairs, opening the front door and stepping in with me right behind her, Charlie in my arms, watching her reaction as she takes in the new furniture, the wall I took out to make it more of an open concept, and the new paint.

“Holy shit, you ass! I’m obsessed! It looks totally different already! You’ve really put the work in. Ugh, I love it so much, I don’t want to leave,” she nearly whines. I knew she would love it, and part of me feels guilty for being able to purchase such a lavish place while she and Charlie are stuck in the small apartment above Bean Haven.

“C’mon, go check out the bathroom.”

She gives me a look that says “no, you fucking didn’t” and I just smile at her. I follow behind as she skips through the living space into the master bedroom, floating through the room until she gets to the en suite. Her chin drops, mouth falling open as she stares at the large, vintage, enameled cast-iron clawfoot tub. There’s a massive four-person shower across from it, tiled in gorgeous stone, with multiple spray heads and attachments. I even hung eucalyptus from them because I knew she would like it. On the other side of the room sits a large counter with two porcelain sinks, individual round mirrors above, and some plants that I have no fucking ideahow to keep alive. Several more hang in the corner, placed strategically in front of the large window that faces my sizable, private, and wooded backyard. Which also happens to be the wall that the tub sits on.

“Holy. Fucking. Shit.”

“You like it? It really needed a fuckin’ upgrade. Whatever old bitty decided to put carpet in a bathroom is hopefully long gone. There are some things you just can’t come back from.”

“Bear, this is literally what dreams are made of! You outdid yourself.”

She continues to stand in the entryway of the bathroom, just looking at it, and after a moment I start to laugh at her.

“You ready to go?”

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